Press Release

November 16, 2009
Contact: Sheryl Hayes
Phone: 434-924-3296
sheryl@virginia.edu
www.virginiafoundation.org

For Immediate Release:  Side Bar to Accompany Press Release

Some Things You Can Do to Commemorate American Indian Heritage Month

This year, President Obama proclaimed November American Indian Heritage month, and the day after Thanksgiving, November 27, as National American Indian Heritage Day, a day to observe and commemorate the past and present involvement of American Indians in our history and culture.  Here are some things you can do to participate:

• Attend the annual Treaty Tribute ceremony at the Governor’s Mansion, Richmond, Wednesday, Nov. 25, 9 a.m. Virginia Indians from the Pamunkey and Mattaponi tribes will bring a tribute of game and gifts to the Governor, as they have since 1677.
• Visit the VFH “Beyond Jamestown” and “Family Portraits” exhibits at the State Capitol gallery through November 30.
• Listen to radio podcasts on Virginia Indians:
• Historian Robert J. Miller and Karenne Wood explain how this “discovery doctrine” has affected American Indian nations from 1607 to today.  http://www.withgoodreasonradio.org/2009/11/the-discovery-of-north-america/
• Encounter, five radio reports about Virginia Indians today. http://www.virginiafoundation.org/VIHP/program.html#

• Enjoy the Monacan Indian Nation Fall Gathering. Friday November 20, 2009 - Saturday November 21, 2009, For more details: http://www.virginiafoundation.org/VIHP/program.html
• Do some web research on Virginia’s Indians: two good sources are Virginia Council on Indians (http://indians.vipnet.org/resources.cfm) and the Virginia Department of Education (http://virginiaindians.pwnet.org/index.php)
• Visit your local library and check out a book on Virginia’s indigenous peoples.  Some suggested titles:
• Blanton, Dennis B. and Julie A. King, editors: Indian and European Contact in Context: The Mid-Atlantic Region. University Press of Florida, Gainesville. 2004  
• Cook, Samuel B.: Monacans and Miners: Native American and Coal Mining Communities in Appalachia. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln. 2000  
• Gleach, Frederic W.: Powhatan’s World and Colonial Virginia.  University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln.  1997
• Kupperman, Karen O.: Indians and English: Facing Off in Early America. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York. 2000  
• Moretti-Langholtz, Danielle: In Their Own Words: Voices of Virginia Indians.  Interactive Multimedia CD, American Indian Resource Center.  College of William and Mary, Williamsburg. 2003  
• Rountree, Helen C.: Pocahontas, Powhatan, Opechancanough: Three Indian Lives Changed by Jamestown.  University of Virginia Press, Charlottesville, 2005  
• Townsend, Camilla. Pocahontas and the Powhatan Dilemma.  Hill and Wang, New York. 2004  
• Wood, Karenne and Shields, Diane: The Monacan Indians: Our Story.  Monacan Nation, Madison Heights. Virginia. 2000  

--End—